Coleman said: “Gareth will have to get used to that. He’s had it for some time, but when you are propelled onto the level he’s now at that there is an even bigger spotlight.

“He’s going to get kicked, pushed and bullied, but we have to get used to that. He hasn’t got a choice.

“He knows even before he goes on the pitch that there will be a time where someone is going to want to leave some on him. But he’s got to take that as a painful compliment.

“I said to the players at half-time, 'This team is not here for a friendly.’ They were leaving a bit on us.

“We need to be more streetwise as a team and be nasty.” Coleman admitted Wales’ friendly draw with Finland felt like a 'defeat’.

Andy King handed the Dragons a 58th minute lead with a close-range header before Riku Riski pounced in the second minute of injury-time to fire past Wayne Hennessey.

Coleman added: “I’m gutted and disappointed to concede when we did. It feels like a defeat.” “We had to work hard to get our noses in front. We were a lot better in the second half than the first half and there was a better tempo.

“Any game that you are winning with two minutes to go then you expect to win. It now feels like a defeat.

“We lost a bit of concentration at the end. Ash and Sam thought Kingy was going to head it and he couldn’t get high enough, it came off the top of his head and their player went through and scored.

We defended well, but when you are a defender if you knock off for one second at this level then you will get punished. We have slipped up and it has cost us a victory.” Coleman was without Arsenal’s Aaron Ramsey who pulled out on the eve of the game in Cardiff through illness.

Coleman added: “Aaron arrived with flu. He was ill last week before the Manchester United game as were a lot of the Arsenal lads. He thought he could fight and get rid of it, but he couldn’t.

“He didn’t improve and if anything deteriorated. He could not finish the training session on Friday.

“The way he’s been playing he’d be a miss for any team. It was a shame as he’s been running games for us.”